


Amnesia

by Amelia_Bennet



Series: In-Between [4]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: 707 | Choi Luciel's Real Name, Amnesia, F/M, Halloween, Interdimensional Travel, Mint Eye, Saeyoung, liminal space, monsters in a castle, mysmehalloweek, rika - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-09 21:27:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16457534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amelia_Bennet/pseuds/Amelia_Bennet
Summary: It's been weeks since you were summoned at the Museum but you had learned a lot about how this all was starting to work. You spend hours obsessing over how the next potential summon or overlap. You feel the exhaustion from all of this madness and decide to just let go and forget. Instead, you wake up in a castle and realize the shadows they follow 707 and you were the only one who remembered how to get home.





	Amnesia

**Author's Note:**

> My day 4 submission for the Mysme Halloweek 2018. Free Prompt: Amnesia. This can be read as a stand-alone but it does continue from Supernatural!

You look at the calendar and wonder where October has gone? Half of the month had already breezed through. So many hours spent searching for clues about Scholomance magic. The dining room table was a mess; papers were scattered all over it. You had even gone so far as to stick up a map of the city and circle potential locations that Jumin could use.

While you were helping him research. You were able to see a variety of spells and rituals that he could use. While many of them were near useless for his cause. It gave you a general idea of what the conditions of the environment needed to be.

You pace in front of the map and glance down at your picture copy of his notes.

The more you thought about the summoning ritual and conditions. It became clear that it had most likely failed. While he had all the ingredients needed to perform it. The conditions were not in his favour.

“This spell has a 50% chance of working, should it fail I will perform it again on Halloween where it increases the chance to 90%.”

His words still ring in the air and you feel they almost cling to you like a sign or omen. Jumin had two chances to try to perform it again; without the conditions or wait until Halloween when it was almost guaranteed to work.

Your last trip there gave you a lot more than you realized at the time. That world and this one were parallel to one another so that meant two things were certain:

  1. The weather conditions were the same
  2. Being in the same location as where the RFA meant an overlap in dimensions



Sitting back down on the dining seat. You pick up your phone and scroll through the photos you had taken of the RFA.

 _Yoosung's excited smile over finding that pumpkin._  
  
_Zen's sincere smile from relaxing at the tea party._  
  
_Jumin’s concentrated face as he pours over a book._  
  
_Jaehee’s confident and determined expression as she prepared the circle._

Your eyes shut in exhaustion and you lay your head on the table. The distant sound of your television is in the background, with a play-by-play of the World Series game.

“This cannot continue...” you remember your friend’s words, soft and quiet, “because you’re going to run out of time and chances to see them.”

You stand up from your seat and start tucking the pieces of paper into manila folders and your desk begins to look tidy again. When you finish cleaning up, the short bursts of pain in your head from earlier feels like a tightrope wrapped around your skull now.

They deserved to know the truth about their missing party planner and you wanted to give them back the MC avatar that they had grown to love.

 There had to be a way to see them all again. The last thing you wanted was to tell the truth to one person and have them just tell the group. You wanted to look them each in the eye and reveal the truth. They deserved that much. But, you know that the only event that would have them all gathered together in one place would be the Halloween party that Jumin was hosting.

“Hey, MC, would you be able to attend this party?” Yoosung had asked you that sunny October afternoon. His eyes hopeful and pleading like a little puppy dog. You couldn’t say no at the time to this seemingly impossible wish, but the more you thought about his request and how much you wanted to go, the more you wanted it to be true.

You could no longer lie when you ran into Zen next.

“I wish I could go to this party, ” you had whispered into the cup of tea.

You remember how tightly he held onto your hand as he disappeared like a fading ghost.

By the time you retreat to your room, you are struck with the feeling of uncertainty. Part of you just wanted to call it a night and go to bed, but at the same time you feel a new surge of energy course through you.

You glance at your television and wonder if you ought to start a new show or maybe… next to your console is the DVD that Jaehee had given you. In your possession was the only copy of Zens performance in this world.

Walking to the television and picking up the DVD, your finger traces over the words written in front.

_Cube World._

_Cube World_ was the fabled performance that Jaehee could not find in Another Story. She must have somehow acquired an incredibly rare copy of it, and here she had given it to you as a token of friendship. You and 2B had rushed home to watch this one of a kind performance.

Despite the strong urge to watch it. You decide to do something non-RFA related. You needed to take your mind off these people and immerse yourself in another game. You crouch back down and grab your VR headset and boot up the console.

It was still Halloween and the month was about monsters and ghouls. At this very moment, you wanted to play something that aligned with that mood.

Scrolling through your virtual library for several minutes, you see one of the titles that checked all of your criteria. Clicking on the game you hear the loud ominous music. The title screen prompts you to start a new game.

You put the headset on and see a bright flame appear in front of you. The flame rests on a torch surrounded by darkness. It flickers on a castle wall beckoning you to enter and forget. The sound of the drums and strings sound even louder like a symphony has appeared behind you.

The game hasn’t even started and yet you feel your adrenaline increase. The throbbing headache from earlier is gone and replaced with this sense of excitement and dread. You click start a new game and watch the prologue come to life before your eyes.

The initial darkness you see lifts for a moment and you can make out another torch fade into view. It lasts for a second before you are plunged into darkness again. There is nothing around you in this void, except the voice of the protagonist that seems to echo everywhere and nowhere.

You had played this game on VR multiple times, but it feels different this time...

_Don’t forget… somethings mustn’t be forgotten. The shadow hunting me… I must hurry._

It is his words, but not his voice. The soft British voice is replaced by an entirely different one and yet as you move in the darkness your vision fades to light. There is another dark corridor with a torch that appears. You feel yourself pulled further and further away from the torch, as if you are being forced to run from it.

_My name is Saeyoung, I live in the bunker at… at.. the main city…_

Your head feels like it is spinning while you run in the darkness. Were you hearing things correctly? Had you been thinking about the incidents involving the RFA so much, that it haunted you even in another game?

You hear the voice again and now you’re sure. Was Seven speaking to himself?

_What have I done? This is crazy. Don’t forget, don’t forget. I must stop her. Focus!_

You hear the desperation in his voice and how his words are choked. The air you breathe in burns your lungs, while the muscles in your legs protest from the strain of running so long. Before long there is a window and there is light behind it and your hands reach out on their own.

You scream so loud that your throat hurts from the force, but still you watch in horror as your arms reach for something unseen in the room. You feel your hand grip a phantom bottle but see none.

 _My name is… is… I am_ Saeyoung.

“Please help me,” you scream with your raspy voice. How long had you been screaming?

You no longer hear him speaking. Your hands are in pain from gripping this phantom bottle tight, but your arm raises to mimic the motion of bringing a bottle to your lips. You press your lips together and stop yourself from drinking. 

Even with your lips sealed.

You feel yourself choke on the amnesia potion. You feel like you had overdosed on the liquid and now your vision blurs. The bottle in your hand slips and you hear it fall to the ground and shatter. Your body is heavy as you walk disoriented in the dark before you stumble over nothing and collapse to the ground. The stone floor is so cold on your cheeks that you swear this is real.

You want to curl up and stop the cold from spreading to every bone and muscle in your body, but nothing works. You seem to fall into a short slumber and it is the sound of rain pelting a window that causes you to come to your senses. Your cheek burns in pain and your eyelids finally flutter open.

The room is shifting from left to right and everything looks blurry, but you were able to make out the shape of red rose petals on the stone ground. Pushing yourself off the ground you touch the burning part of your cheek and wince. A small piece of glass was encrusted into it. You pull it out and whimper as the heat spread further around your cheek.

As you stand you feel your memories slip away, bit by bit, like chains coming undone. Your head bursts into pain, like hot needles going in and out repeatedly. Sinking to the floor in pain, you know that you are going to forget everything.

Who you are. The RFA. Your family. Your friend, 2B.

_I’m sorry._

They all fade one by one from your mind.

“I want to remember!” your voice is distant and hoarse, but the one thing you can still recall was that this was a game. You were wearing a headset and this was all an illusion.

This is not real. This is a game. You try and focus on your head. The headset was on, but you had to focus past this illusion and take control.

You feel the headset enclosed around your head. Gripping it tightly, you yank it off. You hear the chains locking back together and your dizzy vision fades back to normal as you sink to the ground once more weak.

The memories you cherish stay firmly in your mind.

“This is a game… this is a game…” you whisper over and over. Your eyes shut. Pulling your knees close to your chest to calm down from the terror. When you do open your eyes it is the castle that still greets you.

Your eyes shift to the headset that you had thrown off earlier lying on the ground. Your satchel is with you? How had you not noticed this earlier? How is this possible?

Pushing yourself back up you tread slowly down the hallway. Even with your memories of the game you jump at the distant noises in the old castle.

Were the shadows chasing you as well?

You run through the shadowed corridors and stop in a few rooms to grab tinderboxes. That would come in handy later.

When you enter one room and walk to the desk where you remember where a letter was supposed to be. Your hands shake as you pick up the parchment and read it:

_Saeyoung,_

_I wish I could ask you how much you remember. I don’t know if there will be anything left after I consume this drink. Don’t be afraid Saeyoung. I can’t tell you why, but I know this, I choose to forget. Try to find comfort and strength in that fact. There is purpose. You are my final effort to put things right. God willing, the name Rika, the Saviour, still invokes bitter anger in you. If not, this will sound horrible._

_Go to the Inner Sanctum, find Rika and kill her. You are skilled. She will be no match for you._

_One last thing. A shadow is following you. It’s a living nightmare – breaking down reality._

_I have tried everything and there is no way to fight back. You need to escape it as long as you can._

_Redeem us both Saeyoung. Descend into the darkness where Rika waits and finish this._

_Your former self,_  
_Saeyoung_

You drop the letter and it floats to the stone ground. Your stomach churns at the contents of the letter as you continue on. What was the meaning of all of this? You had to find him. From the corner of your eyes the darkness seemed to shift on its own.

Did you also have an invisible sanity meter here like in the game?

Your breathing becomes short and quick, when you turn and make out the faintest colour of red in the distance. Was that…?

If you didn’t catch him soon, he would be entering the basement with the lantern.

“Saeyoung,” you call out to his hurrying figure.

He stops and turns around. You could almost swear that the gold of his eyes seemed to reflect in the darkness, like a cats. He could easily pass off as a ghost or shadow here.

When you reach him. He holds up the lantern to your face.

“Who are you?”

“My name is MC.” You walk close to him and lower the lantern.

He jumps back at the action and you see that he looks ready to leave. You grab hold of his black hoodie to stop him from leaving you.

“Do you remember anything about your past?” You pray that he has some recollection of the truth but instead he shakes his head no.

“Only my name and that I need to find Rika,” you see the anger in his eyes and how tightly he grips the lantern. Even without his memories his anger towards her was still immense.

“Amnesia. Right,” you mutter.

Whatever this was, you and Saeyoung needed to get out of here. You needed to explain to him that this was all a video game. This wasn’t like all the other times; this was a place out of the boundaries of both your world and his.

You tell him quickly about the plot of the game and about his life with the RFA. While you tell him the details of this game and of his past, Saeyoung’s face grows pale, his features twist into pain and his body begins to sway and lean on the wall. You watch as his body crumples into a crouch and how he tucks his head between his legs.

You crouch down beside him. Had you told him too much?

“Are you okay!?”

“I… I couldn’t understand anything. The moment you started talking… It just felt like a hot iron poker was entering my eyes. The room is darker and I could barely see anything.”

Was the game stopping you from revealing the truth? You speak again slowly and watch as he shrieks in pain. Saeyoung covers his mouth to muffle his own scream. The moment you stop. The tight features loosen up proving that your theory was correct.

“I’m sorry, it’s because I tried to tell you something.”

You reach into your bag and pull out a vial that you hand him to drink. It would help ease the pain to continue the journey to the Inner Sanctum. He finishes the vial quickly and you notice how some of his colour has returned.

Saeyoung stands up now and picks up the lantern. There was no choice. You had to play along with these rules and finish the game.

The castle is fraught with dark corners and you could feel the watching eyes of the shadows everywhere. You were not safe and neither was Saeyoung. Walking close to him. You make a habit of holding the sleeve of his hoodie.

You direct him with your game knowledge of where to go and what to do, but you’re both silent for the most part.

As you and him go deeper and deeper into the castle you start to see the spark return to him. The shell of the man being filled to the brim with rage and regret.

It is deep in the bottom floors that he reads aloud another document strewn on the floor.

“It hurt. Everyday living was filled with pain, but it was only the smiling face of my brother, Saeran, that made me fight even harder.”

Saeyoung’s eyes are distant and you know that some of his memories are coming back. He hands the note to you and you tuck it away into the bag.

“I remember him now,” he murmurs, “How could I forget? Every single day we lived as prisoners just waiting for the day we would die.”

You know the story well, but it was different watching Saeyoung suddenly pick up a stray inkwell sitting on the table and hurl it at the wall. The sound of glass shattering fills the room and you see how quickly his chest rises up and down in rage.

“Tell me about him,” you ask, hoping to calm him down. He turns to you and you see his anger dissipate.

You watch as he tells you stories that were not even revealed in the game. He tells you about how Saeran and him would spend their days and about what books and make believe games they would play in their tiny house.

In this state, Saeyoung was unguarded and emotional. You know that it was only a matter of time before the rest of his memories would return and you would have to be prepared for him to push you away.

It is while walking through the prison block area that Saeyoung’s shaking hands take hold of yours. This was one of the darkest part of the game. His sanity meter was probably dropping with every second in here.

Even with your blurry vision, you knew that this darkness was not affecting you as badly as it was on Saeyoung. You lit a few torches along the way and rested at a few prison cells to keep him calm.

He starts joking about this being like a play that Zen could be in and that he was thankful Elizabeth the III was not here to suffer. He babbles on about what he remembers about the RFA, to distract himself from the monster that slips in and out of view.

“We would have parties. I’m not sure why? Actually, I’m not sure what RFA even means.”

You avoid his gaze. Piece by piece, it would come back to him.

Deeper and deeper you both went. The tunnels seemed endless.

It was during one instance while walking through the morgue area that you see it almost too clearly at first.

A monster, it’s eyes yellow, the face literally twisted up distorted like an alien. There are chains all over its body with blood trailing from its footsteps. You can see Saeyoung losing his sanity just by looking at this beast. He pulls you to run back to the previous area. He mutters and squeals for several minutes.

“NOPE. NOPE. NOOOOOOOOO! WHAT IS THAT EVEN?!”

“I don’t know! I think it’s a grunt or something.”

Saeyoung has closed the door in the previous area and he paces around.

“This is like my missions,” he mutters. Wait had he said mission? A memory must have come back to him while running away in fear.

“What are you talking about?”

“Nothing, just life as a magical girl.”

His reply is cagey and you notice that his joking demeanor was starting to peek through; the mask starting to form. 707 was resurfacing the closer you got to the Inner Sanctum. You know that he is remembering his life in the agency and the line of work that he was put into. All this sneaking around in the dark was probably the reason that memory was brought back to him.

“Are there any new memories about your brother?”

There is nothing, but the sound of footsteps for awhile.

“V gave me the chance to start a new life and I took it. My brother is safe,” he states plainly.

“MC, could you just call me Seven or Luciel instead of Saeyoung? I don’t think I like my name very much. It sounds kind of lame doesn’t it?”

The pain from the past is slowly returning to him, you realize. If not for the rage and this mission, you know that he would lock himself up forever in the darkness to hide away,

“Yeah, sure thing Seven-Luciel,” you say his code name and his baptismal name with a smile. The lump in your throat gets harder to swallow.

It gets easier walking through the dark, but you still held onto his hand. His grip is strong and firm as you lead him through the corridors. Glancing at him for a moment you take note of his serious expression. The Saeyoung from earlier is gone now.

The Naive area.

It was the last area of the game before the Inner Sanctum. That meant Rika was close by, but before that you knew that the Choir and Transcept would lead Seven to his darkest memories. The part of him that he had buried away and did not want to see. That’s what this part was about.

You find notes similar to the ones you remembered from the game: directions from servants who had once worked here, who were followers of the Saviour as you had come to learn. The Saviour had spent hours pouring over some sort of concoction that would allow her to take control of others. Those monsters wandering through the building were the failed results of her experiment. She had used pain and a drug to break these people. They were loyal to her and they were “happier” now.

That’s what Rika’s powers had done.

Seven enters the Choir main hall. The room is filled with red smoke and the noise of shuffling feet could be heard. One of her followers were here patrolling the area. You lead him through the rooms with the missing orb pieces and laugh to yourself a little. You were like a living version of a walkthrough and cheat guide.

You took him into three different rooms to pick up the orb and for his memories to return. He almost collapses with every room, his face drained of colour and life.

“11 days and our missing party planner.”

“The Rika Fundraising Association.”

“Mint Eye.”

He mumbled out something every time a new memory came back. You try and get him to speak to you after the last room, but he stays quiet.

“Let’s go,” he says, taking your hand.

There was no way now to reach him. You would have to rely on your game information to assess what was going on with his mental state.

The Transcept is nowhere near as foreboding and scary and the Choir hall. But you know that this place would also contain more memories that he had locked away to forget. The room is filled with an unnatural light. There was no need to wander around or sneak past anything.

There were three doors that held torture chambers. Your feet do not want to move as Seven starts walking forward. He notices you remain unmoving.

“MC?”

“I have a bad feeling about those rooms.”

“Please, I need you to go with me,” his voice is soft, as his usual demeanor is replaced with the Saeyoung from the start of the game. His open and unguarded expression gaze at you for help.

You pull him towards the door to get the orb pieces and watch as he crumples to the floor screaming. His voice goes hoarse from screaming so loudly for several moments. You try and calm him down but your words have no effect. You bring him close and wrap your arms around him. His shoulders shake and shudder. Hot tears wet your shoulders as he leans on you for support.

“What have I done? Saeran he wasn’t safe. I betrayed and abandoned him.” His words are muffled through his tears but you can still make out a few words.

Rika. Mint Eye. Hacker.

You hold him close till he calms down. When he is recovered and ready to stand on his own. He removes his yellow glasses and wipes them clean with his sleeve.

“We have to keep going,” his voice is firm, but his eyes are still red from crying. You don’t want to argue with him and lead him to the next two doors. He does not collapse like last time, but you could see him get spirited away into a memory.

“Everyone was in danger because of me,” he whispers. “The headquarters… V…. I’m sorry.”

You hold his hands and wait for these visions to pass before you could speak to him again. All these memories that he was experiencing. Your heart is thrumming because you want to know about V as well. Was he okay? Did he survive?

“Seven what happened?” you prompt him.

“I didn’t trust V. I betrayed him and because of that he almost died,” Seven does not want to meet your eyes as he says this and you want to assure him that it was okay, but you see how low his shoulders sag. His head is downturned and ashamed from telling you the memory.

V didn’t die? Part of you is relieved that at least one tragedy in the RFA was avoided.

Grabbing hold of his hands you lead him out of the Transcept. With all the pieces of the orb and all of his memories and sins returned to Seven. You knew that it was time to face her. To face the Saviour, Rika.

The Inner Sanctum is guarded by shadows and golden static waves. Placing the pieces of the orb on a nearby altar, the door clicks open and the electric currents that secured it are gone. There was no going back now.

Both of you sprint through the door and skid to a stop, taking in a good look at the room that resembled a temple. You see two open entrances with torches flickering next to the doors.

His eyes dilate and you wait for the vision of his memory to end. He is silent this time. There are no pain or tears; instead there is understanding. When he wakes from his trance, he takes the knife on the altar and cuts a light scar on his palm.

Red liquid oozes from it and falls onto the altar. A wind gushes into the room and the lights are snuffed out.

He walks out the room through the other entrance on the opposite end. You chase after him in the other room and watch him once again repeat his actions again. There is more blood and another wind blows through the room. The flames are diminished and the sound of a rock sliding and shaking fill the room.

“Seven,” you walk to him and tug at his sleeves.

“Who are you?”

“I’m, M-”

“No, who are you really. I have all my memories back now. I know why I’m here and how I got here, but I have no memory of you.”

You back away from him and see how his hands are fisted in frustration. You want to tell him everything but you can’t. Not here. The game wouldn’t allow you to.

“I’m the anomaly. The ghost girl that Yoosung and Zen met. I’m the being that Jumin and Jaehee accidentally summoned.”

Your throat is dry and the painful gulps of air is almost too much for your throat. The slight metallic taste of blood fill your taste buds.

“I’m the girl they wanted you to track down.”

You hang your head and wait for him to pass judgement, or just say anything to you. Instead, he walks up to you and takes hold of your hand.

“Hey… I trust you even though none of this makes sense.”

The room which had looked darker earlier seemed to brighten up in your eyes. You breathe in relieved at his words.

“How did you get here?”

“Jumin was preparing for the next ritual and it involved some sort of dimensional potion. It looked like PhD Pepper in a glass and I accidentally…” he trails off and rubs his neck. You can’t help laughing at him. All of this because he wanted to drink PhD Pepper!

He pouts at your laughing face but continues on with his story.

“I wanted to play Amnesia so I started up the game… and here we are. Did the same thing happen to you?”

You nod your head and tell him how you had ripped the VR headset when you felt that the game was getting real. Seven nods at your explanation.

“So that's how you knew where to go... well we still have to finish this. We have to find Rika, but to get the good ending…” He trails off and you watch his eyebrows furrowed together for a moment. He jumps up and grabs hold of your shoulders.

“You need to enter the portal in the next room. Rika will be opening up the portal to another dimension, but the only way to stop it would be for you to enter instead.” You place your hands over his.

“Are you telling me that I’m the person that is supposed to pass through dimensions and save… Oh.”

The more you thought about it. The more it made sense… You remembered that in the game only someone “untainted” could pass through. Did… Seven think he was tainted? You’re saddened by the thought of it.

“Okay,” you accept, “I’ll pass through, but you have to stop her from reaching me. I have a feeling this is going to be different from the game.“

He nods and takes the lead once more. The wall from earlier had revealed a set of double-doors.

Entering it, you see Rika standing on a high platform, dressed in a priestly robe. A large portal was forming in the middle of the room.

“Saeyoung, I knew you would make it,” she says watching him intently.

He steps forward, making his way to Rika on the platform. You look up and see magenta-coloured electricity surrounding the ceiling.

“Rika, please stop this.”

“You’re the one who doesn’t understand. I’m trying to help others just like I helped you!” Rika's voice is shrill as she steps closer to Seven.

“Don’t you see? I want to make everyone happy! But in order to achieve that, I have to control them. I will stop at nothing to save them all. I will save them all and welcome them to eternal paradise.” Her voice is almost feral as the sound of the electricity crackles around the room. The light portal in the middle of the room slowly expanding.

You walk to the pair and try to reason with her.

“Rika, please, you need to stop. You’re hurting yourself and everyone around you. We can help you make peace with your light and dark side-”

At this, her attention shifts to you, and the glare she throws your way is enough to stop you dead in your tracks. You watch in horror as she lunges off the stage towards you.

“Is this my replacement!” she screeches and runs towards you, “You know nothing of my darkness!”

Stunned, you watch as Seven quickly lunges and takes hold of Rika. She thrashes against his grip, trying to get away from him. The portal has now opened up in the middle of the room.

“Go through now!” he yells.

Seven tightens his hold on Rika even more as she squirms, her eyes brimming with tears. Her expression is pained as she realizes what was about to occur.

“No, no, no! You don’t understand! I just want to save everyone,” she pleads.

You hurry to the portal and know that by entering it, you’ll pass through to your dimension and that Seven would be brought back to his own.

Turning around you face him for the last time in this game.  
“Seven, that’s not really her. She’s the result of your memories being used in place of the original characters. I just want you to know that. You're a good person Saeyoung Choi.”

“MC, I… I feel like I’ve seen you even before. Do I know you from before you met Yoosung?”

Just as you’re about to reply. The room starts shaking and pieces of the ceiling come falling down. There was not much time left. You had to pass through to save him.

“Goodbye.”

The blinding light is warm and comforting, compared to so much darkness from before. When it subsides, you see you are back in your room—safe. The game title screen is playing its ominous tone on your television screen and you lay on the floor clutching the bag of notes from the adventure.

This was not the end.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my fic and I hope you enjoyed it! I love the game Amnesia The Dark Descent and recommend it to anyone who wants a good story/scare.


End file.
